http://www.birchtreecenter.org/

Glicka Kaplan, President 

Bruce Dicker, FAIA, LEED AP, Vice President

Carol McClard, Secretary

Tracey Tucker, MA, LCMHC, Director

Sandra Pierce-Jordan, PhD, BCBA-D,
Acting Executive Director*

Erin Conlan, MSEd, BCBA, Staff Representative*

Marty Rowley, MA, Staff Representative*

Acting Executive Director / Program Director

Sandra Pierce-Jordan, PhD, BCBA-D, received a bachelor's degree from Colby College and the MEd and PhD degrees from Northeastern University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  Dr. Pierce-Jordan joined The Birchtree Center as a Behavior Analyst in October 2007. She has worked with children and adults with autism and Asperger's for over 20 years in a variety of roles, including consulting and providing direct services. Dr. Pierce-Jordan has worked collaboratively with schools and families in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, providing functional behavioral assessments, behavior support plan development, individualized educational plans, curriculum development, applied behavior analysis programming, diagnostic evaluations, program evaluations and consultation, staff and parent trainings, and workshops.

Administrative Staff

Director of Finance

Holly Robacher, MBA, joined The Birchtree Center in 2009.  She brings professional experience spanning a diverse array of industries including non-profit, high tech and aeronautics. Ms. Robacher has contributed in various finance roles for small local businesses to large corporations and has held the positions of CFO, Accounting Manager, Business System Analyst, and Cost Accountant.  She holds an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and a BS in accounting from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Director of Development & Community Relations

Jessica Files Squier, MA, has worked at nonprofits throughout the northeast including Strawbery Banke Museum, the Newport (R.I.) Historical Society, Mystic Seaport, Plimoth Plantation, and the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society.  Her responsibilities have included public relations, grant writing, program planning, tour-guide training, public speaking and more.  Her graduate studies at the University of Delaware included coursework in not-for-profit management, fundraising and publicity.  She has an MA in history with certification in museum studies.

Behavior Analysts

Outreach Coordinator / Behavior Analyst

Katie Al Jenaibi, MS, BCBA, has an MS in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  She has many years of experience providing consultation and training to public school staff and families. She has worked with children and youth with autism for over 10 years and has extensive experience developing individualized curriculum and behavior management strategies for individuals across the autism spectrum.  She has worked in various settings, including school inclusion programs, home instruction, acute care facilities, residential programs and one-to-one settings. 

Behavior Analyst

Erin Conlan, MSEd, BCBA, earned her master’s degree from Simmons College in Behavioral Education.  She has over fourteen years of experience working with individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities/ delays and mental illness, and with their families and caregivers.  Before coming to Birchtree in 2004, Ms. Conlan worked as a case manager, family life skills coordinator, and behavioral assistant.  She has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2008.

Behavior Analyst

Stephanie Mariano Morin, MSEd, BCBA, holds a master's degree in Behavioral Education from Simmons College and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2008.  Her 12+ years of experience working with children with disabilities includes time as a transition specialist, special educator, and mental health counselor. Before coming to Birchtree in 2007, she led an experiential learning program that supported integrated employment for young adults with developmental disabilities.

Behavior Analyst

Rebecca Walsh, MSEd, BCBA, earned a master’s degree in Behavioral Education from Simmons College and has worked with students with developmental disabilities for over nine years.  Before joining The Birchtree Center’s staff in 2004, Ms. Walsh worked at an integrated preschool and as a para-professional in an extended-school-year program. She has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2008.

Special Education Staff

Director of Special Education

Shelly Fagen, MIT, received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Georgia and a Master of Initial Teaching, K-12, with an emphasis in Special Education from Gonzaga University. Ms. Fagen has worked in the field of special education for over 12 years and has served school districts in Hawaii, California, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. Ms. Fagen’s professional experience includes special education case management for students aged 2-21 with varying disabilities in public and private school settings. She has also provided supervision, training and mentoring for special education staff. Shelly holds a New Hampshire Department of Education Experienced Educator credential with endorsements in Special Education Administration and General Special Education.

Special Education Case Manager

Kristen Johnson, BS, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and anticipates receiving her master's degree in Early Childhood Education and General Special Education in 2012.  She joined The Birchtree Center's staff as a Clinical Instructor in 2007.  Ms. Johnson's professional experience also includes work as a para-professional in an early childhood program, as an instructor in a K-5 after-school program, and as kindergarten teacher at a private school.

Transition Coordinator

Debbie Patten, MEd, has a graduate degree in Special Education from New England College and has over 18 years of experience as an educator and service provider for individuals with disabilities.  Her professional experience includes work in public schools, home-based services, and a residential program for children with disabilities.  Ms. Patten joined The Birchtree Center as a Clinical Instructor in 2006 and was promoted to Transition Coordinator in 2011.

Related Services

Consulting Occupational Therapist

Mary Bamford, OTR/L, holds a B.S. in Occupational Therapy and is Sensory Integration and Praxis Test certified. She also holds certification in oral motor and sensory treatment, and has advanced training in Neuro-Developmental Therapy. Ms. Bamford established a private practice in 1996 with a clinic specializing in the treatment of sensory processing disorders and autism in Rye, N.H.  At the request of special education directors, she provides team and/or Occupational Therapy programming consultation to school districts and students with ASD, sensory integration disorders, and emotional/behavioral disorders throughout New Hampshire and Maine.  Ms. Bamford does faculty fieldwork for the University of New Hampshire's Occupational Therapy Department and provides workshops about autism and sensory integration and nonverbal learning disabilities for the N.H. Department of Education and Southeastern Regional Education Service Center, Inc. (SERESC). Ms. Bamford is an occupational therapist consultant for Dr. Margaret Baumann in the areas of PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder), Asperger’s, and autism. 

Consulting Speech-Language Pathologist

Cathy Booth, CCC-SLP, BCBA, holds a BS in Early Childhood/Family Services and Communication Disorders, an MS in Communication Disorders from the University of New Hampshire, and an EdS in Behavior Education from Simmons College.  Ms. Booth is a certified speech language pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Ms. Booth is trained in the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) and Seeing Stars programs. She has experience programming and implementing a variety of augmentative and alternative communication systems, including voice output and PECS. Ms. Booth has worked with children from birth through high school diagnosed with ASD in public school settings and private practice. She has provided workshops on the use of visual supports for Southeastern Regional Education Service Center, Inc. (SERESC).